Boys of Summer
by OddKitty
Summary: It was only supposed to last the summer, things would have been great if they'd never seen each other again. It had hurt to let go, but that's how it's supposed to be. Sasuke leaves the summer behind, only to find that he's been chasing the sun.
1. Summer Loving000Met a Boy

It was only supposed to be for the Summer.

_It was never meant to happen in the first place._

Why couldn't it just have ended with the heat?

_I didn't expect anything like this could ever happen to me._

I was supposed to go home and be normal again.

_Why did things end up like this?_

Why did we have to meet again?

_Why did we have to meet again?_

_

* * *

_**BOYS of SUMMER

* * *

  
**

Sasuke was currently doing what he did best; brooding. His crazy-ass brother had decided on a whim to move them to the coast, 20 kms from the resort town they'd been staying at to a little place called Konoha.

As far as towns went, it was rather nice…scenic, quaint, _quiet._ It wasn't the city, which was what had drawn Itachi to it in the first place, but it was the reason that Sasuke was quietly seething at the back of the classroom.

A new school in a new town that you could walk from end to end in less than a half hour while dawdling. The place didn't even have a Starbucks.

There was muted whisperings in the classroom and Sasuke inwardly rolled his eyes and patiently ignored all the stares that he was receiving from the female population. His face remained impassive, cloaked as it was behind the Uchiha Glare ™.

The homeroom teacher was running late, though it seemed by the lax posture and general conversation engaging his peers, that it must have been a regular occurrence. Or maybe they just weren't as formal here as at his last school.

At the boarding school, they had made the students sit in silence in the old fashioned benches as the supervising teacher would watch them with a general sense of loathing and mistrust. Feh, if there was one thing he wouldn't miss it would be the stuffy overbearing and overzealous Brothers that taught the classes.

But at least the private school whilst being in a much older building, still had the basic luxury of air-conditioning, which this place did not. Sure, summer had gone but the heat still lingered on, and though the ceiling fans were going full bore, it was simply moving the dead air around.

Sasuke turned his head at the sound of a snore issuing from the table next to his and blinked as he surveyed the kid who was leaning back sound asleep in his chair, feet resting on the desk. He had brown hair pulled back into a severe tail and pale skin, there was a stud piercing the ear that Sasuke could see and his shirt was untucked and half undone, exposing the singlet beneath it. Sasuke watched him for a moment longer before losing interest and turned his gaze to the clock at the front of the class.

There was ten minutes left of Form, and the teacher still hadn't shown. Two girls, one with long blond hair and another with shoulder-length pink hair, yes, PINK hair entered the room chatting amicably with one another until they both at the same time turned and spotted him.

Something inside Sasuke froze and dread seemed to pool at the base of his spine as they both blushed furiously than turned to the other.

"He's mine forehead girl!"

"Shut your lying mouth, Ino-pig! I saw him first!"

"You did not!"

"Heh, well you couldn't get him if you tried!"

"Why you slu-!"

"Ohayo, class!" A cheerful voice cut the escalating cat fight apart. A man with grey hair that seemed to defy gravity made his way into the room casually…or as casually as you could when you're a mask wearing, eye-patch toting relatively young man carrying, yes, carrying PORN. "Sorry I'm late, this morning on my way here I was pondering the mysteries of life when I was waylaid by a mischievous little fox!"

Sasuke's jaw dropped, around the room there were a couple of chuckles from the students and the two fighting girls jostled each other as they made for their seats, both sending Sasuke looks that he supposed were meant to be alluring, but really made it look like a bad case of indigestion.

The teacher plonked himself down behind his desk and almost immediately began reading from the orange covered book he'd brought in with him. Not even bothering to mark the roll or acknowledge his new student. Sasuke felt a little put out by this. I mean, it's not everyday that you transfer schools, you expect _some_ fuss to be made by the teachers.

There was only a couple minutes left of Form and it passed uneventfully. As the bell rang for first class, there was a bustle as the students ran from the door. The boy that had been sleeping next to Sasuke was woken by the chubby boy on his opposite side and all but towed out the room still yawning. Those two girls from before were lingering as if trying to get his attention, but he easily sidestepped them and made for the door, ignoring their shouted offers of a tour around the school.

Like he really needed a tour. There were four main buildings not including the office and sports shed and everywhere there were helpful little signs clearly distinguishing the departments.

First class was English Lit. the floor above Sasuke's homeroom and he stalked his way up the stairs, fighting the flow of bodies as they all raced from one classroom to the other.

Upon entering the room, Sasuke was relieved to see that unlike his homeroom teacher, this one was actually here and looked relatively normal, well at least from the back. He had brown hair pulled back in a messy tail, caramel coloured skin, and was around average height and build. Sasuke settled in a seat toward the back, dumping his bag by his desk.

The teacher turned round and warm brown eyes and a welcoming smile greeted him cheerfully. But what caught Sasuke's attention most was the long scar running across the bridge of the teacher's nose.

"Good morning, you must be Sasuke-kun," the teacher said. "My name is Umino Iruka, but we mainly go by first names round here," he explained. "If you have any questions or queries, my door's always open."

Sasuke nodded in reply, feeling slightly off-balance. He was sure of it, n_o one here was normal_. Iruka's eyes crinkled up in a smile and he returned to the board, continuing to write.

In short order, his other classmates filed in and his feeling of dread threatened to overwhelm him as he saw that those two girls from his form were in his class. He grimaced inwardly as they zeroed in and swooped on him, both stealing the desk on either side of him after a minor scuffle.

"Hi, I'm Yamanaka Ino," the blonde said leaning over with an open hand, pressing her breasts against her desk to emphasise her not-so-ample bosom in a completely blatant manner. "But you can call me anytime," she finished with a cheesy grin.

Sasuke regarded the proffered hand with disdain, let his gaze flick to her pleasantly pretty face before he grunted acknowledgement and turned his gaze to the front.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, just ignore Ino-pig. Do you need to borrow a text book or anything? Pencils? Anything, just let me know, I'd be happy to help you out with whatever…er, um, sorry what did you say your name was?" The pink-haired girl smiled gently at him.

Sasuke hesitated before responding, "…I didn't say it." Silence reigned for a moment before Ino cut in with a nasty giggle.

"Shot down!"

"Shutup, Ino, so were you!" Sakura retorted crossing her arms and slumping in her seat.

The last few students filtered in as the last warning bell sounded, but Iruka had yet to commence the class, his gaze kept creeping to the still open door. Subconsciously, it seemed, he muttered aloud, "where is that kid?" before turning eyes full of concern towards the class in front of him. He gave a somewhat pained smile to his students before standing and addressing them.

"Good morning, Class, I hope you enjoyed your holidays and are ready to start the New Year with enthusiasm. As you may have noticed, and since I have no doubt that Kakashi sensei neglected to introduce him, we have a new student joining us this year. Do you want to come up the front and introduce yourself?" Iruka gave him a meaningful look and gestured with his head for Sasuke to rise and present himself at the front of the room.

He resisted the urge to sigh out loud and stood, making his way up the aisle with confident steps. Sasuke turned when he reached the front and bowed minutely.

"My name is-"

The pounding of feet echoed down the hall and the loudly bellowed "Waaaaaaaait!!" cut Sasuke off mid sentence, but not so effectively as the body that came flying through the door and collided with him, knocking him to the ground and winding him.

There was a moment of silence as the class stared on in shock and then a moan arose form the pile of limbs on the floor and a muffled "ouch" was uttered against Sasuke's chest. "Sorry dude," the guy mumbled before climbing to his feet.

"S-S-S-S"

"Naruto, what is wrong with you?"

"s-S-S-S"

"I think he finally must have cracked, the loser." Wait. Naruto?

"S-S-S"

"Maybe he thinks he's a snake?" With mounting dread Sasuke turned his gaze to the newcomer. The bottom dropped out of his stomach and his mouth gaped open in utter disbelief.

"Why's he looking at the new kid like that? What a freak!"

Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki, standing in front of him, his shirt miss-buttoned, untucked and wrinkled, sweat glistening on his brow and finger raised and pointed in disbelief and shocked accusation.

"S-s-s-s"

"Naruto, you tard, what the hell?"

Not possible. Not possible! They weren't ever supposed to see each other again!

"Naruto, stop pointing, and go find your seat, we were just letting the new student introduce himself," Iruka ordered sounding surprisingly sharp.

"SASUKE!?"

His name screeched through the classroom at a pitch that should have shattered glass. Sasuke rose to his feet and shut his mouth, dusting off his trousers and stared at the blond that had just slammed right back into his life.

"What, what…what?" Naruto shook his head in denial, taking a step towards the Uchiha, a hand raised as if he were about to reach and confirm Sasuke's solidity though he paused when the raven levelled a glare at him. Naruto looked around the room at all the derisive stares and open sneering of his classmates and then turned back to the phantom in front of him. Only one word came to mind so he let it slip through his lips, "FUCK."

Though it didn't happen very often, on this particular occasion, Sasuke agreed with him wholeheartedly.

* * *

_I remember my first impression of you so clearly, like a moment caught on film being replayed before my eyes. As usual you were surrounded by people all wanting to get close to you, to soak up some of that mysterious inner light that you carry with you everywhere._

_It was at the arcade on the boardwalk, the sunset filtered though the open doors and gilded everything in a warm golden light. There were shouts, laughter and joyful cries mixed in with the electric beeps and squawks of the computer games, overlayed by each different machine's own soundtrack. The air was hot, so humid that even as the sun slunk below the horizon, the heat was palpable and unending and sweat clung to my skin. The scent of stale popcorn and cotton candy lingered on the air, and whenever the breeze picked up, it brought the smell of the nearby ocean to breathe tantalizingly through the building._

_I was angry that day. So very angry; at my brother, at life in general and seeing you be so cheerful and surrounded by so much mirth. My first impression was…I hated you…_

_

* * *

  
_

"Naruto Uzumaki! How dare you use that kind of language in here! Quickly take your seat, and get your books out, I'll deal with you after class!" Iruka roared his posture stiff and lined with aggression. Naruto took one last clueless glance at Sasuke before shaking his head and heading toward the back of the class. As he made his way down the aisle, one of his classmates – Kiba, that asshole, stuck his foot out as he passed, making him stumble and practically fall into a very shocked and deeply blushing Hinata's lap.

Naruto quickly reared back, mumbling his apology and he turned to gift the dog-lover with an angry glare, one which he returned fully. Served the wanker right, making him fall all over the girl Kiba had been secretly pining for since the beginning of high school.

Naruto took the seat right next to the window in the back row and folded his arms in his lap, suddenly feeling exhausted. It could have had something to do with the 5 km dash he'd made to get to school on time, but seeing as he did that everyday, it might have had something more to do with the brooding figure at the front of the classroom, that was staring at him impassively. Naruto hated that face, he could never tell what was going on behind the eyes and it unnerved him enough that he turned his gaze to the world outside his window.

He listened on vaguely as Sasuke introduced himself to the class and paid only the minimal amount of attention required to Iruka sensei that would avoid his greater wrath, whilst still annoying the crap out of him. He stiffened minutely as Sasuke reclaimed his seat, one desk over from his and tried his very best not to look at the other. No matter what, though, throughout the lesson he continued to take furtive glances at him, still not believing his bad luck.

Sasuke was never supposed to see him again. It's not like they'd made any formal agreement, but both were going back to their own respective hometowns and then that would have been the end of it.

Why couldn't things have just stayed that way? A heartfelt sigh escaped from between his lips and he felt the heated gaze the Uchiha was sending him. Naruto leaned his head in hand and just counted the minutes until the class and its loaded atmosphere were over.

"Naruto," Iruka's voice cut through his unusually morose thoughts and brought his attention back to the present. It seemed that the class had finished without his even realising, so caught up in his own internal monologue. The others in class were packing their things and making their way from the classroom. "Sasuke, I want a word with both of you now, please."

For the first time in almost forty minutes, the two shared a glance. Naruto shrugged noncommittally and stood from his chair, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he went. As he reached the front of the classroom, Naruto casually leaned a hip against Iruka's desk and scratched absently at his cheek. Sasuke moved to stand next to him, back straight, posture perfect and blank faced.

Iruka paced the floor in front of them and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly before gifting Naruto with a glare that could have challenged the Uchiha's most poisonous expression.

"I thought we had agreed that you wouldn't be causing any undue trouble this year," Iruka said, staring intently at Naruto. Naruto remained silent, guilt seeping quickly into his gut and he averted his gaze from the furious scrutiny of Iruka's eyes.

"I also recall something about you showing up to school on time. You made me a promise, Naruto." Like he needed the reminder, he'd run like the demon's of hell were on his tail. Really, honestly, this time it wasn't even his fault.

"I'm sorry, Iruka, I tried getting here on time, truly," he mumbled quietly. Iruka looked at him a moment, searching his face. He sighed and turned his face away, shaking his head resignedly.

"I really don't understand. Kakashi was supposed to bring you with him to school."

Before he could suppress it, a growl escaped his throat. "I showed up when he told me to, missed breakfast just to make it on time and he wasn't even there! I knocked on his door for a bit, but then I saw that his car wasn't there. So I tried to catch the bus, but it was already leaving when I got to the curb."

"Ok, I'll have a word with him, several, in fact. But still, I don't ever want to catch you using that kind of foul language again, understood?" Iruka warned, a steely glint in his eyes promising swift punishment for rule breakers.

Naruto grinned uncertainly and nodded his head, muttering another apology. Sasuke was looking between the two of them, his confusion only evidenced by the slight furrowing of his brow as the conversation unfolded. Naruto spared him a glance and a small grin, which only made Sasuke revert to Glaring mode.

"Now!" Iruka said suddenly clapping his hands and turned to the still slightly bewildered Sasuke. "Is this the boy you were talking about? The one you moped for a week over?"

"Iruka!"

"What?!" Sasuke yelped, looking between the two with astonishment and dawning horror. Naruto cringed, panic seizing him. He hadn't wanted Sasuke to know that!

"Why'd you have to go and say that, Iruka! Gawd!" Naruto looked askance at Sasuke, waiting for the outburst. "You're even worse than Jiraiya."

"Oh please, no one's worse than Jiraiya. Why are you still working for him anyway?"

Naruto shrugged, "have to pay the bills somehow."

"Ok, ok. Well, Sasuke, it's really a pleasure to put a name and face to 'that guy' finally. I hope you're both not going to be causing any major dramas at school, now are you? I don't want to hear about you two fighting or causing a fuss, understood?" Iruka cajoled

"Yes, mum," Naruto replied sarcastically, earning himself a cuff to the head from Iruka. "Hey! Assault!" he yelled, getting another smack for his efforts. Iruka ruffled his hair playfully and patted him familiarly on the shoulder before looking again at Sasuke.

"I've held you both up long enough, sorry for traumatising you on your first day here, Sasuke. Usually we try and avoid doing that to our new students for at least a week," Iruka said with a friendly grin. "Ok, you two can go. Naruto, don't be late to your next class, hear it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto replied with an absent wave of his hand and casually sauntered from the room while inside he was having a minor panic attack. Ok, maybe a major panic attack. If he'd actually had any food in over the last 36 hrs, he probably would have been shitting his pants, he was so nervous. He had been so sure that Sasuke was going to go off his nut, was still wondering when the boy would regain his wits and punch the shit out of him. He consciously sped up, making for the school grounds, could see the open doorway beckoning to him and nearly made it past the threshold when a hand jerked him back by his collar, nearly choking him and he stumbled and protested, yelping and tripping over himself as he was dragged into the first floor men's room.

Naruto cried out as he was thrown into the stall door of one of the toilets and crashed painfully onto the seat as the door gave way behind him.

Looming above him, eyes almost glowing with murderous intent stood Sasuke; the last person on earth he had ever expected to see again. His hands were braced against the sides of the stall, blocking off Naruto's escape and his expression was dark, made more ominous by the overhead lighting that shadowed his face.

Sasuke's chest was heaving with suppressed fury and his brow was furrowed, clearly outlining his displeasure.

"…Um….hey?" Naruto greeted with an asinine grin plastered to his face.

"You told the TEACHER about me?!" Sasuke raged. Naruto flinched back, hunching in on himself reflexively. "What did you tell him?!"

"Uh, not that much…" He replied weakly, averting his gaze.

"Oh god, you told him everything, didn't you?" Sasuke cursed.

Naruto cringed…pretty much. But Iruka wasn't just his teacher, he was the only person in all of Konoha that he'd felt he could talk to without being treated with derision. He was the only person who cared to listen to him, even when he was being an atypically mopey teenager and he was one of the few people that Naruto trusted, and whose opinion actually mattered.

His persistent silence was enough answer for the raven and he swore uncharacteristically, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Why would you talk to a teacher about me? About us?" Sasuke hissed. Naruto gaped at him, struggling to find an answer that would fix this. Naruto met Sasuke's irate stare evenly and let his shoulders slump in a defeated shrug.

"I didn't have anyone else that I could tell."

If not for the steady dripping rhythm of the leaky taps and the occasional shout echoing from the hall, the room was bathed in a silence so full of unsaid words and emotions that it was almost stifling. Naruto heard Sasuke issue a sigh and he leant against the stall wall, arms hanging limply by his sides.

After a brief period of time had elapsed Naruto gathered his courage and leant forward, catching the fingers of Sasuke's hand gently with his own. He flinched but didn't pull back from him. "So, what do you wanna do?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke's hand momentarily tightened between his before he withdrew his fingers. A shot of pain ran through Naruto and he realised not for the first time that he still wasn't over this boy.

"Let's just…see how things work out. We weren't supposed to see each other again."

"I know."

"I mean, never in a million years would I have ever…you know, if I thought that it was forever." Upon hearing this, Naruto's face darkened and the anger that came with the memories simmered just below the surface of his skin. Adrenaline began to build and it was by force of will that he remained seated on the toilet.

"I know! You don't have to rub it in. I know what it was all about for you."

"What?"

Naruto finally stood and brushed past Sasuke moving under the glaring light, and turned to face him.

"Hey, it's not like it has to mean anything, right?" Naruto sneered, smiling humourlessly as his insides seemed to clench. He enjoyed a moment of bittersweet satisfaction at Sasuke's almost imperceptible flinch. The memory of those words still hurt, and it looked like he wasn't the only one they had wounded.

"I'm gonna go grab some lunch before my stomach devours me. Catchya!" With a mocking salute Naruto left the bathroom, the ever-present grin on his face more a painful grimace. He gave a sigh of relief as he moved further away from the Uchiha. He didn't know if he could have made it any longer without acting on his conflicting impulses. To kiss the Uchiha or to sock him one right in the mouth, that is the question.

The lunch room was full of the chattering voices of his peers, all so wrapped up in their own little dramas and romance; all enjoying the companionship of their friends. Naruto swiftly made his way past the tables, occasionally dodging any scraps that some idiot threw his way and ignored the catcalls, insults and the whispers.

Of all the things he hated most it was the quiet, insidious gossip that spread from ear-to-ear on a quiet breath. It was why he'd begged Jiraiya, his boss to give him the summer off.

He'd reluctantly agreed, setting it up with an old friend of his who owned a resort about twenty km up the coast and she'd let Naruto stay for free in exchange for working around the place doing whatever was needed during the weekdays.

It had been great! The resort was too upmarket for a lot of the people from Konoha, so there weren't that many faces that recognised him and vice versa. It had been like starting all over again with a completely clean slate.

On autopilot Naruto began to fill his tray with food, paying mechanically and walking almost in a daze to a far corner table that was always left unoccupied. Well, mostly unoccupied. Gaara, the resident psycho, aka transfer student that _still_ after a year hadn't bothered speaking with anyone and glared at anyone that even came near him was firmly entrenched – arms folded against his chest and eyes narrowed at the sprawling mass of students in front of them, like each one had personally offended him. Who knows? They probably had in some way.

Naruto slid his tray across from the redhead and slumped into the seat. Gaara's eyes widened infinitesimally at the blond, either in territorial anger or possibly just bewilderment and he sat rigidly, appearing indignant at Naruto's intrusion.

Naruto paid him no heed and began unwrapping his sandwich, his thoughts still 20 kms away.

It wasn't until there was a grating noise across from him before he even realised he'd taken a table already occupied. Absently he realised there was a hush in the lunch room, but he paid it little mind.

"Oh," he exclaimed. "Hey Gaara, hope you don't mind me sitting here, only everywhere else is full."

There was a pause where the whole room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the explosion, the sudden unpredictable violence that would be unleashed at any moment.

"…hey."

Needless to say they were kind of disappointed at the anticlimax.

Naruto looked over at the empty table in front of the red head and held out the other half of his sandwich to him. "Hungry?" Gaara's eyes flicked from the sandwich to the whiskered and smiling face in front of him. If he hadn't felt so off-balance by the sudden intrusion, he might have been horrified to find himself smiling back. Thankfully for everyone involved, even his facial muscles had no idea what was going on, and his expression remained impassive.

Tentatively he reached over and accepted the sandwich half with a wary nod, not once blinking, in case he missed the first signal of attack. Naruto's grin widened and he leaned over the table, taking a hearty bite from the rest of his sandwich then took a gulp of milk, messily wiping his mouth along his arm.

"So I hear you're from Suna, what's that place like?" Naruto, never one to stand for long silences asked inquisitively around a mouthful of ham and salad sandwich.

"….Dry..."

"Really? I haven't heard much about it, just what's on TV occasionally, but I really wanna go there one time. Do you miss being there?"

"…No…"

"How come?" Naruto took another gulp of milk while he waited for a response. He licked up a drop of milk that escaped the corner of his mouth. Gaara watched the gesture with intense fascination, before shaking himself and looked the blond directly in the face.

"…I was in a mental institution."

"No way, cool, me too!" Naruto's eyes lit up and he bounced in his seat with childlike exuberance. "People here found out, so I don't really have that many friends, well _any_ here. Unless you count Iruka, but he's an adult, so I don't think it does."

Gaara blinked once, twice, which might have indicated some internal surprise and his mouth pursed and relaxed, as if undecided. He cocked his head to the side and analysed the teen in front of him. Following the gesture and narrowing his eyes, Naruto returned the scrutiny with a flutter of mischief sending impulses to his nerves, making his feet jitter in place with unspent energy.

"You know, us crazy's should stick together, don't chya think? Do you have a mobile?"

"No."

"Aw, oh well, I'll guess I'll see ya round school anyway. Wait, do you have any paper?" Naruto stared at Gaara expectantly until the redhead began digging through his bag for a book and pen. Naruto practically snatched it from his hands and began furiously writing. After a couple of minutes, Naruto handed the pen and book back with a grin.

Gaara looked at the newly returned book with the scrawl that was written on the inside back cover.

Inside was a picture of a quick cartoon fox that had a grin much like the artist and next to that was a message written in an untidy scrawl_. _

"_For a good time, call Naruto! *nudge* *nudge*" _followed by a mobile number.

He looked up questioningly at the sheepish grin that Naruto wore as he scratched the back of his head. "Eh heh, only kidding…but if you ever wanna hang out or anything, just send me a text or something. I'm kinda broke though, so I don't always have credit, but I'll try and call you or something, yeah?"

Gaara was fighting the urge to grin back at the stupidly happy look on Naruto's face and merely nodded; the corner of his lip quirked upward on one side. Any further bonding however, was interrupted by the bell signalling the end of break and Naruto swore under his breath as he surveyed his half empty lunch tray.

Quickly he jammed the yoghurt into his pocket and dropped the apple into his bag. He shouted his farewell then dumped his tray on the way out and sprinted to his next class.

He had ten minutes to get there still, but there was no way he was going to be late to this class. No _freaking_ way. Iruka was scary when angry. Naruto shuddered at the thought.

He would have made it too, if he hadn't run smack bang into the one person he wanted to see even less than Sasuke. Upperclassman, Hyuuga Neji, the tosser. It was kind of embarrassing, really. He'd have to learn to stop running in the halls. All he seemed to be doing was knocking down the hottest guys in school in _very_ public places. Naruto groaned inwardly and extracted himself from the tangle of limbs that he and the Hyuuga had become with as much haste as he could.

Hyuuga remained silent as he picked himself up and dusted off his clothes, though his creepy-eyed glare left no doubt that inwardly he was cursing Naruto to the depths of hell.

Naruto scrambled backwards and stood, making to dust himself off when his hand came back smeared in something gooey.

He brought his hand up for inspection and cursed aloud. The collision must have busted the yoghurt container! Naruto looked back at Neji stopped. Stopped moving, stopped breathing and just stared. And he stared. Then he burst out laughing, collapsing to the floor and holding his stomach as each guffaw wracked his body.

"Oh my god!" he howled in a winded voice between each burst of laughter. "I am…so so so-rry, Neji! Mmph…I'm s-s-so hehehe SORRY!" Then he burst into another fit of giggles, curled up in the middle of the floor. Passers by stopped and a ripple of gossip and laughter flowed from that spot to spread quickly to every hall in the school.

"What is wrong with you?" Neji demanded with an expression of disbelief. Then it sunk in. Naruto watched with growing amusement as the brunet stilled and his face went blank. Neji dropped his head and eyed his own crotch.

See, Naruto got off (*snigger*) easy. The yoghurt, being in his pocket had bust and sprayed along his hip. However, Neji had copped the worst of it. The trickster in Naruto was suddenly thankful that all the chocolate pudding had been bought already, because it really wouldn't have had nearly the same effect as the yoghurt.

Someone in the crowd suddenly yelled, "Neji blew his load over Naruto!" The hall erupted with laughter, but silence seemed to encapsulate the two. Even as Naruto's shoulders continued to shake with laughter, dawning horror began to settle around him as Neji's expression darkened.

"Er, uh oh."

Witnesses that day said that the yoghurt must have been radioactive, because all of a sudden, Naruto shot through the crowd with a speed that could not have been human. Neji followed with a seemingly uncanny knack of knowing in which direction Naruto turned, despite the many diversions, corners and shortcuts that he took.

The more sensible witnesses said that he just followed the uncontrolled laughter and shouts of annoyance from other students to find Naruto. And when he did, he proceeded to beat the snot out of him, much like he had before the end of term last year; though Naruto was proud that he'd managed to land several really good hits before the fight was broken off and they were carted to the nurse's office.

The two were notified that the headmaster would be coming to see them shortly as the nurse on duty berated the both of them even as she tended their wounds.

Naruto endured it without batting an eyelash, and despite the fact that he was currently seeing two; the smile on his face could not get any wider. He watched on contentedly as the nurse checked Neji's pupils for signs of concussion (which he did have, it turned out).

He listened to the nurse order Neji to remain awake, to not lie down and keeping drinking water. She turned her eyes on Naruto and his smile faded. That stupid look. He hated it. The woman paused. "…That goes for you, too, Uzumaki. Why not keep up a conversation between the two of you, maybe work out your issues while we're waiting for the headmaster. I have to write my report, so behave, understood?"

Naruto nodded and wished that he hadn't. Apparently it wasn't just a black-eye that Neji had given him.


	2. Tell Me More

A/N: Ok, so here's the deal. While this might SEEM like only the second chapter, it is in fact the 3rd. I submitted the first two as one combined chapter, and I was going to do the same with three and four, but I er...haven't ACTUALLY written the fourth one yet, so, yes, the chapter is probably significantly smaller than the first one, but it's the correct length for the chapter. Please R&R. It makes me extremely giddy!

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Sasuke watched Naruto's back disappear around the door to the men's room and huffed. That hadn't gone like he'd hoped. Not that he actually had any idea of what he wanted at this point; all he knew was that he didn't want Naruto to hate him. They'd done that dance already and it hadn't been that great the first time round.

It's not like we can just be friends, though. There was a bit too much recent history to allow for that kind of camaraderie. He contemplated his options as he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror for a while before shrugging internally and leaving. Right now there was little he could do about it, and he wasn't sure he wanted to do anything about it yet.

He'd brought his own lunch so he immediately made his way to the school grounds, avoiding the crowded and noisy lunchroom. He really wasn't up to the physical challenge of not maiming someone for talking too loud or chewing with their mouth open.

The sun was high and bright in the sky, but there was a cool breeze blowing in from the east and there was a set of tables sprawled beneath a towering oak tree. It seemed that a majority of his form were crowded underneath, chatting, laughing, lounging and generally enjoying their lunch break. Sasuke considered joining them for an iota of a second and decided to find somewhere else to sit for now. Those two girls, Ino and Sakura were there. Sasuke shuddered at the very thought of dealing with the hormone driven she-dogs and found a shady spot against the side of the building.

"You're blocking my light," a voice drawled below him. Sasuke turned and saw the sleeping boy from this morning sitting on the ground, his hands poised in his lap in a strange posture. In front of him was a Shougi set, something Sasuke hadn't seen in a number of years. Immediately his interest was peaked. The guy had no opponent and the chubby boy from earlier was sitting next to him, his attention focused on the foot-long sub he was quickly devouring. Sasuke quickly became engrossed as the game progressed, even though the opponents were one and the same person. It was quick too and soon the guy had defeated himself in several short moves.

"May I?" Sasuke inquired. The boy looked at him for the first time, expression bored. He lifted his shoulders in a lazy shrug.

"You'll lose," he replied, but gestured for Sasuke to take the other side of the board. "Nara Shikamaru, by the way."

"Sasuke."

"Yeah…ok, let's start."

Sasuke hadn't played in a while and it took him losing very quickly in two successive games before he started to get a feel for the pieces again. On the third, he managed to make several moves that surprised Shikamaru enough that an eyebrow would raise and he was gifted with an analytical study. They spoke rarely during the game, mostly intent on keeping their concentration, which suited Sasuke just fine. Having gotten bored by the second game, Shikamaru's friend had left to join the group under the tree, leaving the two to duel it out.

Sasuke had always considered himself a reasonably good Shougi player. When his father had been alive, the two had played it; at least one match every day. It was their time, the only time when Sasuke ever felt that his father saw him for him, rather then as Itachi's little brother. Itachi couldn't stand Shougi. Or maybe it was his father that he couldn't abide, but either way he had always avoided playing the game, which gave Sasuke something with his father that was uniquely his.

Their last game stretched to the time the bell had rung and remained unfinished, stalemated.

"You did ok. D'you want to continue this at next break?" Shikamaru asked. Chouji – his friend – seemed startled by the question and mildly impressed. Clearly not every challenger was asked for a rematch.

"Sure, which class do you have next?" They entered the building with a steady, unhurried pace.

"Forensic science."

"I'm impressed. I didn't think a place like this would have something that advanced," Sasuke mused, his opinion of the school moving up by the smallest notch.

"Meh, it's a public school, but this old guy a few years ago, he died and donated a good portion of his fortune to the school; so they upgraded everything. Well, everything but the air-conditioning," Shikamaru drawled. "What do you have?"

"Calculus with, uh, Morino Ibiki," Sasuke replied after a moments thought. Shikamaru winced visibly.

"Better you than me. It's in the same direction as me."

"Hn."

"See ya Shika, Sasuke," Chouji startled Sasuke with his parting; he'd begun to wonder if that guy could even speak. The chubby guy waved with a cheerful smile and headed off to another part of the school.

"Hospitality. He wants to be a chef, or maybe just a food critic," Shikamaru shrugged and resumed his pace.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE PISSANT!" There was a shriek, the increasing rumble of feet pounding down the halls, startled cries as people were pushed out of the way, then an answering yell.

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, ASSHOLE!"

Sasuke reached out a hand and yanked Shikamaru back by his collar as a blond blur moved through the spot the lazy boy had just vacated. Sasuke watched as Naruto, moving almost inhumanly fast disappeared into a churning sea of students, a slightly crazed cackle and a lot of annoyed people left in his wake.

A couple seconds later a brunet - presumably a guy - ran passed, long hair tied back, flying behind him like a kite. The crowd of people seemed to just open up for the guy where Naruto had had to duck and weave, dodge and push his way through.

Sasuke's eyebrow lifted of its own volition and he turned quizzically to Shikamaru. He shrugged before he continued on to class, muttering "troublesome". Sasuke stole a quick glance down the swiftly emptying hallway before turning and making his way to his own class.

There was only one person in his next class that he recognised, and that only barely. A guy with dark hair was wearing his jacket up around his nose and mouth and he had on a pair of sunglasses…indoors. Sasuke watched on in growing horror as a bug crawled from under his collar and travelled up into the guy's hairline without him flinching at all and made a bee-line for a table at the opposite end of the room. This town was _made_ of freaks.

The morning heat was making the classroom almost unbearable. Only two of the fans seemed to be operating and the place carried a strange chemical smell. Apparently the room doubled as a chemistry lab when not being used for mathematics. The students entered the room ghostly quiet. The clock on the wall seemed to tick louder than a normal clock and even the lights seemed dimmer in the room.

There really was no other way to say it; this room was creepy. Then the teacher entered the room and a muscle under Sasuke's eye twitched. If he'd thought that Iruka Sensei was scarred, that was nothing compared to this man. He wore a bandana over his presumably bald head and line after line of scars cluttered his face. He wore a scowl full of menace and all of a sudden, the room didn't quite seem so hot.

"Take your seats," Ibiki ordered as the stragglers dashed to find a spot. Ibiki kept an eye on his watch and when the hand hit the hour, he succinctly shut the door, preventing late comers from entering.

"If you've been taught by me before, then you'll know that my word is law. If you are late, you will be locked out of the room. I don't care what your excuse is, I don't care if you're thirty seconds late, you will not be allowed in. If you are unable to attend this class, barring death or fatal illness, you will receive a demerit. Miss more than ten percent of classes and you will automatically fail the term.

"If you speak out of turn, you will be given detention and if I catch you txting, talking, drawing or anything not involved with the topic in question, you will be ejected from the classroom. In that event, it will be considered the same as you not attending. And if I ever, ever catch you cheating, you'll wish your mother never pushed you out in the first place.

"There is no room in this class for time wasters or idiots and if I don't see at least half of the faces here disappear by the second week of term, then I haven't been doing my job properly. I will only teach those who are serious about learning. So those who can't accept my rules are free to leave now."

His pronouncement was met with a silence loaded with dread. Sasuke wasn't altogether surprised to see two of his classmates pack their things and leave and he glanced around the already dwindling class. There were only fourteen people in the room and only a couple who seemed unruffled by the teacher's ultimatum.

Ibiki watched until the door shut behind the two students then turned to gift the class with a glare. "Anyone else? No?" Ibiki looked each student over carefully. "Well then, welcome, now open your books to chapter five, page 139…"

Sasuke quickly complied, find the chapter with ease. He flipped open his textbook and pulled his pen from the spiral bounder. The ticking of the clock seemed to echo around the class and Ibiki began writing on the board.

The near silence was almost unbearable for some, though Sasuke was used to this kind of teacher. Funnily enough, he seemed very like one of the brothers who had taught English back at the private school. Though he couldn't say he missed the school, or the teacher, this Ibiki was like a reminder of home. Sasuke wasn't worried about the course work or even about the teacher in general, more he couldn't help thinking that only outside influences would possibly make this class a living hell. And he had a fair idea what name that outside influence had. He silently hoped nothing ever came of it. Sasuke squared his shoulders and began writing down the notes from the board.

It was an intensely long hour and twenty minutes stuck in that room. When the bell rung, it was with great relief that all the students marched out, not daring to go any faster than a brisk walk and only once Ibiki had dismissed them.

Sasuke stepped out into the hall and stretched, looking up and down the hall for Shikamaru. Someone pushed into him from behind, making him take a steadying foot forward. He glared at the redhead, who returned the look just as fiercely and Sasuke's darkened. What the hell? He didn't even know the…eyebrow-less freak.

"Yo," Shikamaru greeted him. Sasuke nodded in return and they both made their way back outside the building for second break. Sasuke stopped when he saw the direction Shikamaru was headed.

"I thought we were going to finish the match," Sasuke said warningly. Shikamaru turned to him.

"Been a change of plans. We're sitting with the guys this break," Shikamaru responded.

"How come?"

"Che, girls are so troublesome. Ino has blackmail on me, sorry dude, but you gotta help me out here," Shikamaru pleaded, a look of desperation creasing his brow.

"Tch. Fine. But you owe me."

"Yeah, yeah. It won't be that bad, just tell 'em you're gay if it gets too much hassle," Shikamaru offered. Sasuke froze on the spot.

"Why would I say something like that?" Sasuke glowered. Shikamaru raised his hands in a calming gesture.

"Chill, Sasuke, tell 'em you've already got a girlfriend then, but I can assure you it'll only make 'em more determined to chase you. If they think you're gay then they're not so likely to pursue you. They might go all fan girl on you, but they won't try to snare you," Shikamaru's eyes narrowed suddenly and Sasuke didn't like the sudden scrutiny and quickly moved past the smart ass and approached the table.

"Hi Sasuke!" Ino and Sakura cried in unison, hands raised in greeting. The two sat side-by-side despite seemingly not getting along with one another, which Sasuke passed off as strange girl habits.

"Ok, you know me and Chouji and I guess Ino and Sakura as well," Shikamaru said from next to him. "So over there sitting under the tree is Shino. He's a good guy, bit weird, wants to be an entomologist." Shino looked up from the bug that was resting on his finger and nodded in greeting.

"That's Hinata, sitting opposite Sakura." The girl in question was wearing a baggy shirt buttoned up to her neck and three quarter length pants. Her hair came down to her back and was cut with a very severe fringe. She blushed when Sasuke looked at her, but she smiled gently and mumbled a greeting before her eyes dropped back to the sandwich in front of her. Shikamaru leaned in closer and whispered into his ear. "Extremely shy, serious body issues. Voted most likely to become a hot librarian or porn star. She's really sweet and her cousin is an overprotective ass, so don't try anything with her.

"Now, sitting across from her is Kiba."

"Hey Sass!"

"It's Sasuke," he responded with a glare. Kiba's smile turned into a feral grin and he let out a bark of laughter.

"Sure, ok, Sass, I'll keep that in mind!"

"Just ignore Kiba. He's like a dog with a bone. He's annoying, loud and temperamental, but he's faithful. If he gets on your nerves just pay him no attention. He's only encouraged by it."

"Hey!"

"Dude, just stating the truth!"

"Well, ok, but jeez don't soften the blow or anything," Kiba replied feigning a wounded heart.

"And this is-"

"I'm Rock lee! Pleased to meet you!" Sasuke looked at the hand that was practically shoved under his nose and his eyes travelled up to the guy's face. The muscle below his eye twitched again and his expression froze. He glared at the hand until it disappeared.

"He's in the year above us. Lee is…special," Shikamaru commented.

"Aww thanks, Shika, but I'm not that great. Do you practice any martial arts, Sasuke? We should spar sometime. There's nothing like competition to really get the blood pumping, mano et mano, you know? You could join our club!"

"…you have clubs here?"

Shikamaru nodded. "We've got a Martial Arts Appreciation Society. But everyone just calls it Fight Club. Practically everyone in our class is in that. Then there's the music club, art club, and sailing club. That's about it. Oh, there are a few specialty clubs, but they're usually only several people large, so they don't get funding or anything. We've got organised sports, too."

"I might just check it out then."

Lee beamed happily at Sasuke then excused himself, going to sit near the girls. Shikamaru turned to Sasuke. "I wouldn't worry too much about Lee. He's…a very…energetic person, but he's a good guy; polite. He has a massive thing for Sakura, so he'll probably treat you as competition in her affections. She's been shooting him down ever since they met."

Sasuke looked at the pink haired girl and caught her and Ino taking furtive glances at him. He curled his lip and chose to sit on the table that Chouji was at – there were only two spots left and he yanked Shikamaru down into the remaining seat.

"What about them?" Sasuke nodded to the girls, curious despite his distaste.

"Hm…those two have been best friends since childhood, but they're always feuding over something. Personally, I don't get it, but that's how it is. Ino works in her mum's flower shop and is vice president of the sailing club. Basically she's a good person, but she's also a pragmatist, hence why we're sitting over here, rather than continuing our game.

"Sakura's is in the running for Dux. She's smart, very down-to-earth but she's got one hell of a temper. Naruto's always on the receiving end of most of her aggression, the idiot. She's also freakishly strong. I think I remember something about her wanting to be a doctor." Shikamaru shrugged. "That's everyone, I guess."

"What about you?"

"Me? Not much to tell. I like watching clouds, playing Shougi and sleeping. I don't have any major goals in life. Just want to get a good job, marry, have a couple kids and settle down. So long as I can keep doing the things I love, I don't really care."

Chouji swallowed his mouthful of food and leaned over the table. "Shika's a genius. He sleeps through his classes and still manages to get high marks."

Sasuke turned to Shikamaru who shrugged listlessly. "I'm smart enough," he said simply.

"Oh hey, it's Tenten," Sakura grinned and waved to the girl who was running over.

"You…will never…guess!" Tenten said as she panted for breath. A still camera dangled from her neck as she bent in half.

"What, what, what is it?" Sakura asked, now thoroughly excited. Ino was also looking interested, even Hinata seemed to show some curiosity. Shikamaru mouthed, "Girls" and shook his head.

"You know how there was a fight in the halls before class?"

The girls nodded.

"Well, it was between that Naruto and Neji."

"It's always between Naruto and someone," Ino interrupted with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, but anyway, I went to the infirmary to check up on Neji and you will never guess what I walked in on!"

"What?" Ino and Sakura practically howled. Kiba approached, keenly interested himself. Sasuke fought the urge to go over there.

"Naruto…"

"Yes?"

"On his knees…"

"Yes?!"

"In front of Neji!"

"What?! Doing what?!"

"Well…"

"You're killing me here, Tenten, WHAT?!"

"Yanking his pants down!"

"Huh?"

"No way!"

"Neji would never-"

"I have pictures!" Tenten suddenly shouted over the top of everyone's protests. At that they all leapt up from their seats and clustered around the excited girl. Sasuke peered over her shoulder at the tiny digital screen. The image was a little small, but it showed well enough Naruto on his knees in front of that brunet that had been chasing him through the halls. The way the photo was taken, you couldn't see Neji's face, but his shoulders were hunched and he had a hand clenched in Naruto's blond locks. Naruto had a fierce expression on his face and his hands seemed to be fisted in front of Neji's pants.

Sasuke felt the bottom of his stomach drop and a strange sensation burnt through his chest. Tenten flicked to the next shot, which had Neji looking directly at the camera, a horrified expression on his face mouth open. Naruto's eyes were wide and one eyebrow was raised in surprise, but he didn't nearly look as uncomfortable as did Neji.

"Oh, and this is the best shot of them all," Tenten mused as she moved to the next photo.

Sakura and Ino gasped in shock and Hinata turned bright red, covering her eyes with her hands. Kiba laughed loudly clutching at his stomach and even Shikamaru laughed.

"You gotta give it to the kid, he's got no sense of shame whatsoever," Kiba laughed and then dropped back onto a seat at the table, resting his head on a fist, shoulders still quivering with laughter.

"Sakura, is that a nosebleed?"

"Shut up, Ino pig and hand me a tissue!"

Sasuke grabbed the camera, almost yanking Tenten off her feet.

"Hey! Who's Grabby McGrabberson over here? Careful with that! I worked all summer to buy that camera! Oh, hey there, pretty boy!"

Sasuke ignored Tenten and looked closely at the little digital display with eyes burning with unfounded anger. This photo was taken from a much closer angle than the previous two and clearly showed off Neji's undone fly. Naruto had one hand snaked up Neji's shirt, the other grasping his trousers and boxes, pulling them down to expose a pale hipbone. Naruto's face was turned slightly to the camera lens and his eyelids were at half-mast. His teeth were clasped around some of that pale flesh and his lips seemed to glisten.

Neji still had one hand fisted in Naruto's hair; the other was in a frozen claw by his side. His was looking down, mouth open, eyes wide and startled, like he had no idea how to react. Almost desperately, Sasuke flicked to the next photo and was relieved to see Neji with his foot firmly planted in Naruto's stomach, face screwed up in anger. He let go of a breath he hadn't even realised he'd been holding and let Tenten snatch the camera back out of his hands. Then he noticed the stares from the group.

"Che, the dobe," He hissed, crossing his arms and glaring towards the school gate.

"That's right, you know Naruto don't you?" Sakura commented. She took Sasuke's silence as an affirmation.

"My god, Naruto is such a tard! He's like the class clown, only no one finds him funny," Ino explained with a smirk.

"I find him funny, I'm always laughing at his stupid ass," Kiba argued.

Ino scoffed. "I'm surprised he even made it through high school. Did you know he had to repeat a couple subjects over the summer practically every year?" _No, that can't be right._

"Hah, I remember that time when Ebisu ragged him out in front of the entire class for not even knowing simple mathematic equations! I thought Naruto was gonna go psycho on him!" Kiba said. _No, he's not stupid. He's simple, but he's not an idiot._

"I can't believe he hasn't been arrested yet. He's such a delinquent!" Sakura added. _He's not like that at all!_

"Aw, you just don't like him 'cos he's always asking you out!" Ino shot back with a mean laugh. Sasuke felt something like a kick to his gut.

"Yeah? Well you don't like him because Sai said he was prettier than you!" Sakura spat. Ino gasped and her eyes narrowed.

"Take. That. Back."

"Hey, I'm just repeating what that guy said and he's an artist, so he should know those things, right?" Sakura said with a shrug and innocently wide eyes. Hinata, sensing the oncoming battle spoke up in a stuttering voice.

"H-h-he's n-not that bad! Aren't you guys being a little m-mean to Naruto?"

"Hah! No! Don't you know he's a total nutcase? He was in an institute. And he bit me!"

"Well, you were trying to punch his face in at the time," Shikamaru interjected.

"He called me dog-breath!"

"Well I'm sure you deserved it," Ino said with a smirk.

"What do think of him, Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked suddenly. His tone made Sasuke narrow his eyes with suspicion, the look on Shikamaru's face told him that he definitely shouldn't let his guard down around the guy. He was far too intuitive for his liking. Everyone looked expectantly at him with eager anticipation.

"…At first…I hated him," Sasuke answered slowly. "But then…he grew on me after a while." It was with no small satisfaction that he watched the collective's jaws drop. And he couldn't help the soft smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. He still remembered that day, in all its finer detail. The bell for class interrupted his musings and woke the group from the spell of quiet they had seemed to be under and they all made their way back to class.

Sasuke had political science with Kurenai sensei. He only hoped that this teacher, at least, would have some semblance of normality about her.


	3. Had Me a Blast

A/N: I love Itachi :D

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A drizzle of sweat made its way slowly down the arch of Sasuke's back before soaking into the rumpled folds of his t-shirt. Even in the shade he was practically melting. The beach was crowded and the wind though blowing strongly only seemed to burn his exposed skin, drying the fine layer of sweat that coated his body, making him fully appreciate the air-conditioning that their hotel room had. It also made him really despise his brother for kicking him out of said room and leaving him stranded at the beach. Sasuke had almost contemplated going for a swim, almost, but he hated the beach, hated the smell, hated the sand and he hated that he was so horrifically pale that he'd stand out like a beacon among all the tanned locals and sunburnt tourists. Oh, and he hated the people on the beach most of all. Goddamn cheery bunch of assholes and their snotty, puling, loudmouthed spawn.

He took another sip from his quickly emptying bottle of water and again cursed his crazy-ass brother for leaving him here. "Be only a minute, my ass," Sasuke cursed bitterly, unaware that he'd spoken aloud.

He checked his watch again. It had been an hour and a bit since Itachi had dropped him off with a wave. Sasuke blamed his sleep-addled brain for getting in the car in the first place. With a frustrated grunt, Sasuke climbed to his feet and made his way back to the boardwalk, drinking the last mouthful of water as he went. There was an arcade nestled in between a café and clothing store. In front of the building were the vending machines, which were perversely more expensive than the café. Despite this, he fed his remaining change into the machine and listened with a faint sort of interest as the old machine clanked and thudded and shook in its attempt to eject a can of soft drink. The café was full to the brim with little monsters with ice cream and their keepers drinking iced coffee. There was no way he was going to deal with that kind of horror in this heat.

A red light flashed on next to the button Sasuke had pressed and he grit his teeth, testing the next button. Red light. Third Button. Red light. Fourth button. Red light. Final button – soda water. Screw that. With a vicious jab of his thumb, Sasuke hit the "eject coins" button. Then he pressed it again and again in rapid succession and with mounting frustration when it denied him his money back. _ My last fucking change!_

In a rare fit of absentmindedness Sasuke had left his wallet back at the hotel along with his mobile phone; those coins had been the last of change he'd had rattling around in his pocket. Losing his temper he gave the machine an almighty kick. Suddenly, the clanking sound of coins rattling through the chute preceded the clatter as one slim metal disk hit the bottom of the change tray and reverberated for a breath. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched and his lips pulled back into a snarl in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. Sonovabitch. Ten cents, great.

Sasuke shut his eyes, grit his teeth and counted very slowly to ten, his fists clenching and unclenching by his sides, his shoulders hunched in barely contained rage. Just as he reached 9 he felt a tap on his shoulder and whirled around, eyes blazing, "What?" he snapped at the person in front of him, sun momentarily blinding him.

"Uh, here," the person in front of him murmured and offered him a can of soft drink. "You looked like you needed a drink." He said by way of explanation. Sasuke hesitated, staring longingly at the cold can. His vision clearing quickly now that he wasn't glaring directly into the sun, he glanced back to the person's face and froze anew. Those were the bluest, most vivid eyes he had ever seen in his life. The guy in front of him smiled and Sasuke was dazzled this time, not by the sun but by the brightness of the smile that graced him. Embarrassingly he felt his face heat up in a blush and he covered it quickly by almost snatching the can from the bronzed, blond god's hand.

"Thanks," he grunted with a nod. If possible the smile grew wider, making the guy's eyes crinkle good naturedly.

"No worries, kid," the stranger said than brushed past him and entered the arcade. Wait, what, _Kid?!_ Sasuke glared in affront, watching as the bronze god disappeared into the cavernous depths of the arcade, greeting the occasional person as he passed them. Where did he get kid from? They had been standing eye-to-eye almost, Sasuke maybe a slight inch shy of that guy's height, but nothing in his physique could have merited a 'kid' response. He was almost 17, for Kami's sake.

A drip of condensation slid from the can, following a path down his arm before dripping from his elbow, reminding him that he now had something to drink. Sasuke opened it then took a swig and almost gagged.

He forced himself to swallow than spun the can to reveal the brand. Soda water. For fuck's sake. Sasuke's eyes shut and his free hand went up to rub tiredly at them, the other hand clenching tightly around the can. As if this day wasn't already bad enough.

Sasuke was tempted to simply throw the soda out, but his sensible side won out and he kept it with him. For awhile he paced the length of the boardwalk just outside the building, occasionally shooting the other patrons with glares. How dare they enjoy themselves while he was having the worst day of his life! As he was making another circuit of the boardwalk a loud bark of laughter caught his attention and he turned his gaze to the arcade. The blond guy was standing at one of the machines close to the wide open doors and laughing loudly. Surrounding him was a group of teenagers of varying age all either cheering him on or trying to distract him from beating his flustered looking opponent.

The sun seemed to make him glow and his blue eyes dance as he gloated over his win. His smile was wide and inviting and the people around him – even the person he'd just floored in the game seemed to want to soak up the warmth from that guy. Blondie shook hands with the loser and challenged the crowd for the next opponent.

Sasuke couldn't explain, even to himself the sudden burning in the pit of his stomach as he watched on as the blond continued to joke around with the group around him. His eyes narrowed and the sudden urge to go up there and punch the guy in the face became almost overwhelming. It seemed almost criminal that someone that cheery should exist in the world. What made it worse was that he felt as though he owed the guy something for the drink – even though is was soda water – and one thing that Sasuke hated more than anything was being indebted to anyone. He didn't go asking for help and he didn't need anyone's help, something which his brother, or this stranger, didn't seem to get. Quickly turning on his heel, Sasuke took a calming breath and looked around him, letting the ocean view settle his emotions where his breathing couldn't.

There was a bench underneath a sail cloth on the marina in front of the arcade and he made his way over, plopping down onto the seat heavily and with an aggravated sigh. A hand went up to wipe the sweat from his forehead and he let his head droop forward.

This was not his day at all. First he was woken up at the crack of noon and ejected from the hotel room, then Itachi left him stranded out in the sun with no phone, no money and no idea of how to get back to the hotel. Then the vending machine ate his last coins and he hadn't even thought of holding onto the empty water bottle after he'd finished it off. Sasuke took off the goofy straw hat that Itachi had thrown at him when he'd quite literally pushed his younger brother from the car and fanned himself in an attempt to cool down.

It wasn't working.

Sasuke wasn't sure exactly how long he sat there, only that when he suddenly startled awake, he could see the sun disappearing below the waterline and the lights on the boardwalk were weakly shining in the twilight.

It had been a tap on the shoulder that had woken him and he turned to find that same bronze god staring down at him with concern. "Hey kid, you stranded?" The guy asked amicably.

Sasuke cleared his throat, "yeah."

"Do you wanna ride? Doesn't matter where you are and you don't have to worry about fuel money or anything," the guy offered. Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"….So what's the catch?"

"My my, a suspicious one," Blondie mused. "No catch really, you just have to put up with me talking and asking all the wrong questions and stuff. But hey! I'll get you back to your hotel, no worries."

Sasuke pretended to consider the offer, though already his mind was made up. He had a headache, his throat was drier than a desert and he now had a crick in his neck from dozing while seated and from the tightness of his skin, he could tell that he was also sunburnt. Sasuke muttered a thanks and didn't even protest when the guy hauled him to his feet and took off at a brisk walk.

"I'm Naruto, by the way," the guy said.

"Sasuke," he replied.

"So whereabouts are you staying?"

"Ichiraku resort."

"No way! I'm staying there too! Well, when I say staying, I really mean working, but it's only for the summer. The old hag's letting me stay for free, but I have to help around the place to pay for it."

"Old hag?"

"Oh, the lady who owns the place. She's personal friends with my boss at my normal job; we've known each other for a couple of years. I call her that just to annoy her, but she loves me anyway. Don't know exactly why, but hey, so long as I get to stay I don't really care. You here for the summer?"

"Yes." Naruto stopped at a run down, pine green car that had one window taped up with electrical tape and the bumper was strapped on with a length of rope. Sasuke paused and threw a questioning look at the blond. "You don't expect me to get in that death trap, do you?"

"Aw, come on Sasuke, she's perfectly safe. Sure, a little rough round the edges, but I keep her maintained and healthy, trust me!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto askance before climbing into the front seat of the car relieved to see that it was whole inside, if not exactly clean. He kicked some empty cup noodle packets out of the way to make room for his feet and buckled himself in as Naruto started the engine. They got out onto the highway leading back to the resort and it was only a kilometre or so before Naruto began filling the silence.

"Are you here with family?"

"My brother."

"Oh ok, so how come you were at the beach for so long?"

"He dropped me off than disappeared, and since I left my phone back in our room, I couldn't call him and rev him about it."

"What were you going to do if I didn't give you a lift?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I probably would have just started walking."

"Uh, I wouldn't do that in this town. I mean, it's not like it's a hotspot for criminal activity or anything, but things apparently go a little crazy around tourist season. If you're ever stranded again and I'm around, I'll give you a hand, ok?" Naruto asked, glancing sidelong at Sasuke before returning his attention to the road. "So where are your parents, they here as well or what?"

Sasuke froze in his seat, suddenly feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. He turned his gaze out the passenger side window and glared at his own reflection mirrored on the dark night sky beyond the glass. "Dead." His eyes widened and he raised a shocked hand to his traitor lips. He wasn't going to say anything; it had just slipped out. He rarely ever told anyone that.

"Aw, shit, sorry kid, didn't mean to bring up something bad," Naruto said apologetically, turning his gaze from his driving to look at the back of Sasuke's head.

"It was awhile ago. It doesn't matter," Sasuke murmured after an awkward pause.

"God, I feel like such a jerk. See, this is why everyone always tells me to shut up. If I'm not rambling on about something then I'm probably offending four out of five people in the room without meaning to. This girl at my high school says I have a brain dysfunction because I don't have the appropriate filters that stop me talking shit. I told her that the only problem I have is that she was on her rags." Naruto laughed at the memory. "I was seeing double for a week afterwards. She hits like a bulldozer."

Sasuke resisted the urge to smile and didn't respond. He was able to enjoy a full 30 secs of silence before Naruto broke it again with his natter.

"So what's your brother like?"

"An asshole."

"How come?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto in disbelief. "Um…he stranded me at the beach without money, or any way to contact him, just so that he could pretend to look at artwork and perv on the nude models at the life drawing class?"

"Oh, really? Is he an artist?"

"No. He runs a gallery. He only _thinks_ he's talented, and the critics are stupid enough to humour him."

Naruto stilled in his seat a moment. "Wait…does your brother have long hair, pale, looks like you a little?"

"…yeah."

"OH MY GOD!" Naruto cried excitedly. Sasuke yelped at the sudden outburst, flinching in his seat.

"What?!"

"I saw him in the gym yesterday! He kept staring at me; it was kinda creepy but he's kind of fit. Oh um." Naruto's grip on the wheel tightened and he suddenly went extremely quiet, biting his lip.

"Didn't mean to say that last bit?" Sasuke gritted out.

"Uh, yeah. My bad. You're not…freaked out by that, are you?"

"That would be a bit hypocritical, I would think," Sasuke answered blithely.

"Your brother gay?"

"No, he's ambivalent – and a slut. Look, let's just not talk about him, ok? If I could live by myself I would. I hate him."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing…I'm just…kind of jealous, you know?" Naruto said with a rueful grin. "I wish I had someone I could hate like that."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question. Naruto caught the gesture from the corner of his eye and he laughed at his expression. Sasuke rankled at being mocked, his frown deepening, eyes narrowed.

"I've been living by myself since I was 14. I'm an orphan, right? So I don't know who my parents are, or if I have any family and it's a lot safer to be by yourself than stuck in the foster system, trust me, I know." Naruto trailed off as they approached the intersection to the resort. They drove in silence for a moment before Naruto spoke again.

"I wish that someone had been ready to take me – wanted to take me _and_ keep me. And if they'd been family, they would have been less likely to throw me away when they got bored."

Sasuke was inwardly amazed. Naruto spoke with a smile so convincing it appeared as though they were only discussing the weather, but his eyes gave him away. They seemed to dull as the car fell into a shroud of silence; Sasuke unwilling to speak and Naruto unable to think of something to fill the quiet. The oppressive atmosphere finally got to Sasuke and he broke the silence between them.

"Well, you can have him if you want. I certainly don't."

"Ooh, Sasuke, giving your blessing for me to date your bro? How very modern of you!" Naruto responded playfully.

"What?!"

"Ah, here we are. Is it okay if I just drop you off here? I've gotta get to the bar. I'm doing a shift there tonight and I'm sort of running late," Naruto said.

Sasuke nodded and gratefully climbed from the seat.

"Oh, kid! Sasuke! Your hat," Naruto yelled at his retreating back. Sasuke turned in time to catch the hat that Naruto had thrown at him. Naruto smiled, waved then quickly pulled out of the parking spot and shot off with a screech of tyres.

Sasuke stood for a moment, watching his taillights disappear behind a curve in the road before turning at making his way to the unit he shared with his asshole brother.

There was a light under the door and music blaring from the open windows. He tried the door and it turned without trouble in his hands. The rage he'd held for his brother that had disappeared during the car ride returned full force and he harshly threw the door open and glared into the living room.

Itachi was on the couch pinned under a big bulky man who wore the gym version of the resort uniform – or what was left of it. His shirt was stuck around his neck and the little gym shorts were halfway down hiss ass.

His brother was less formally attired, wearing only a bath robe that was hanging down around his elbows and a blissful sex-induced expression. His thighs were firmly around the gym guys waist and his body shook as the man continued to thrust into him aggressively. He ran a shaking hand through his loose hair, parts of it clung in sweat tracks to his face and neck. The other hand reached up to grab the shirt circling his partner's neck and dragged the man in close so he could ravage his mouth while they kept up their intense pace.

Sasuke stood frozen for a moment. "ANIKI!" He screeched, hands balled into fists by his sides.

"Oh…nngh, hey Sasuke," Itachi greeted between each laboured breath.

"Who's the kid?" The man asked, not even pausing in his thrusts.

"My little brother."

"Isn't it past his bedtime?"

Bedtime? _I'm sixteen! I haven't had a curfew since I was 9 years old! _"For fuck's sake, Itachi, what the hell?!"

Itachi looked at Sasuke for the first time and sighed regretfully. "Kisame, baby, you're going to have to stop," he ordered, patting the big guy affectionately on the cheek. Kisame paused but he didn't pull out and Itachi didn't loosen his iron grip around the man's waist.

"Bedside table. Wallet. Phone. Keys. Go. Now. Come back in an hour and we might be done. Not too difficult for you, is it?"

Sasuke glared, ignoring the third party presence and hurriedly stalked past and into his room to pick up his things. Itachi shout from the lounge room.

"And change your clothes! You look like a twelve year-old!"

Sasuke paused, phone in hand. He turned quickly and looked himself in the mirror and froze, mouth agape. He knew he shouldn't have let Itachi push him out of the house that morning. He'd also handed Sasuke his clothes. In horror Sasuke tugged off the "blues clues" t-shirt and shrugged out of the three quarter length shorts that made it look as though he was wearing his dad's pants. No wonder Naruto had thought he was a kid. He was lucky the blond didn't think he was some sort of retard.

Ignoring the resumption of activity in the lounge room, Sasuke dashed into the bathroom with a set of clothes and took the quickest shower of his life, wincing as the warm water pelted against his sunburnt arms. He combed his hair back away from his face and towel-dried himself then he quickly pulled on a pair of black dress slacks, a navy tank top and a black short sleeved button up shirt that he left hanging open.

He paused as he caught sight of Itachi's wallet sitting on the vanity before he flipped it open and pulled out his ID and two fifties. He checked his reflection in the mirror and a sullen young man stared back at him. The only hint of colour on him was the family symbol embossed on his belt buckle – the white and red fan. Sasuke nodded decisively and slipped the money and ID into his pants pocket, along with his own wallet and swipe key. His mobile went in his other pocket and he used the cologne that Itachi had left lying out on the vanity before he quickly stalked past the couch and his brother and his er…pet. He opened the door and made his way out when Itachi called him back.

"Sasuke? Make…it two hours. OMYGOD! OH!"


End file.
